The 2026 North Carolina high school football regular season is winding down.
Here are three takeaways from Week 9 of WNC high school football, including Mountain Heritage's resurgence.
Lookout for Mountain Heritage
Mountain Heritage has won six in a row after dropping its first two games to Pisgah and Erwin to open the season.
Its most recent win was a 12-0 victory against Mitchell in the Toe River Rivalry. Quarterback Brayden Deyton ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. The Cougars could win the Western Highlands Conference for a fourth straight season with a victory against Hendersonville in Week 10.
"I'm really proud of the kids hanging in there and not putting their heads down after we lost two in a row and just keep going to work," Mountain Heritage coach
Jered Pope said.
Reynolds defense shines in victory against North Buncombe
North Buncombe running back Kyngston Denson entered Week 9 with over 1,000 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Reynolds held him to 67 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries as it secured a 28-14 win.
"Against an offense like them, they're three yards and a cloud of dust, go for it on fourth down, so it's hard to get off the field," Reynolds coach Chandler Greer said. "Our defense stepped up big time."
West Henderson defense earns first shutout of 2026 against Brevard
West Henderson coach Dustin McAbee was proud of the all-around performance his defense had in a 28-0 win vs. Brevard this week. The win brings the Falcons record back to .500 at 4-4.
He said they stopped the run, limited the passing game and got pressure on the Blue Devils quarterback and forced a couple of turnovers.
"We were all over the football on the defensive side tonight," McAbee said.
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Is Mountain Heritage football a lock for conference title? Our takeaways from Week 9
